DionysusMetamorphosis and Ecstasy

An exhibition of the Collection of Classical Antiquities in cooperation with the Institute for Religious Studies and the Interdisziplinäre Zentrum Alte Welt of the Freie Universität Berlin, the Collaborative Research Centre 644 of the German Research Foundation and the Theatre and Festival in Europe project.

Dionysus, the 'foreign' or 'approaching' god full of contradictions, fascinated the Greeks and still has an allure over us even today. We connect him with wine and ecstasy, music and dance, but also with metamorphosis, disguise and theatre.

The exhibition presents the many facets of the god with the help of extremely valuable pieces from the museum's own collection, which for several decades we were largely unable to show. The various transformations which the depiction of Dionysus has undergone in modern times are revealed by objects from the Museum of Decorative Arts. The exhibition complements the themes of the 'Return of the Gods' exhibition that will be taking place in the Pergamonmuseum at the same time.